Other than use as company, for which the [[Hobbits]] and [[Bree-men|Bree-folk]] used pets,<ref name="RitD"/><ref name="Sign"/> cats were used for the hunt<ref name="XR"/> and for spying.<ref name="UTI7"/> They were soft-footed,<ref name="XR">{{TT|Journey}}</ref> keensighted<ref name="Journey"/> and agile.<ref name="Cirith">{{TT|Tower}}</ref>

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Other than use as company, for which the [[Hobbits]] and [[Bree-men|Bree-folk]] used pets,<ref name="RitD"/><ref name="Sign"/> cats were used for the hunt<ref name="XR"/> and for spying.<ref name="UTI7"/> They were soft-footed,<ref name="XR">{{TT|Journey}}</ref> keensighted<ref name="Journey"/> and agile.<ref name="Cirith">{{TT|Stairs}}</ref>

Though there are no other cats that play a large role in history, some are mentioned in [[Hobbits|Hobbit]] folklore. [[Bob]], the ostler of the [[Prancing Pony]], had a cat. After [[Frodo Baggins]] sang ''[[The Man in the Moon Stayed Up Too Late]]'' (in which the ostler of an unnamed inn had a tipsy cat that played a five stringed fiddle), several patrons suggested that he'd to the same.<ref name="Sign">{{FR|Sign}}</ref> Similarly, a cat, or "four-legs", was part of an old [[Riddles|riddle]] [[Bilbo Baggins|Bilbo]] asked [[Gollum]].<ref name="RitD">{{H|Riddles}}</ref>

Though there are no other cats that play a large role in history, some are mentioned in [[Hobbits|Hobbit]] folklore. [[Bob]], the ostler of the [[Prancing Pony]], had a cat. After [[Frodo Baggins]] sang ''[[The Man in the Moon Stayed Up Too Late]]'' (in which the ostler of an unnamed inn had a tipsy cat that played a five stringed fiddle), several patrons suggested that he'd to the same.<ref name="Sign">{{FR|Sign}}</ref> Similarly, a cat, or "four-legs", was part of an old [[Riddles|riddle]] [[Bilbo Baggins|Bilbo]] asked [[Gollum]].<ref name="RitD">{{H|Riddles}}</ref>

Revision as of 21:30, 10 April 2012

The name Cats refers to more than one character, item or concept. For a list of other meanings, see Cat (disambiguation).

The Cats of Berúthiel

In the late ninth and possibly early tenth century of the Third Age, Berúthiel, wife of Tarannon, King of Gondor, kept cats, nine black and one white. The marriage of Tarannon and Berúthiel was not a pleasant one: his love for the Sea drove her mad. She hated all making, all colours and elaborate adornment, and set her cats to spy on everyone, learning their secrets. Berúthiel conversed with the cats and read their mind and memory. She even set the white cat to spy on the others, to torment them. Berúthiel's reign of terror came to an end when Tarannon put her and her cats on a ship and set it adrift. It was last seen passing Umbar.[6]

All memory to them was erased (and the Book of the Kings), though legends of the cats and their ability to spy remain.[6][7]

Names

In Gnomish, one of Tolkien's early conceptions of an Elven language, the word for "cat" is miog; miaug or miog is "tom cat"; and miaulin is "she cat".[9]

Other versions of the Legendarium

Perhaps the most important cat in the legendarium was Tevildo, the Prince of Cats. Mentioned only in early writings, Tevildo was a demonic servant of Melko, who would eventually be replaced by Sauron[10]. He is the principal antagonist in The Tale of Tinuviel.[11]

Other fiction

Inspiration

Especially in the case of Berúthiel and Tevildo, cats in Middle-earth are portrayed in a negative light. It could be argued that Tolkien was not a cat-person. When a cat-breeder asked permission to use names from The Lord of the Rings for her cats, Tolkien replied to Allen & Unwin:

"I fear that to me Siamese cats belong to the fauna of Mordor, but you need not tell the cat breeder that."